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Saudi Arabia’s KACST and Imperial College London Strengthen Collaboration in Quantum Brain Research

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Quantum Forum. (SPA)
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Quantum Forum. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s KACST and Imperial College London Strengthen Collaboration in Quantum Brain Research

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Quantum Forum. (SPA)
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Quantum Forum. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) signed a research partnership with Imperial College London to advance quantum brain research, study quantum mechanical phenomena, and connect quantum science with engineering, neuroscience, and biochemistry.

The agreement was signed in the presence of President of KACST Dr. Munir Eldesouki on the sidelines of the Quantum Forum. The event is organized by the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Saudi Arabia, an affiliate of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with KACST and King Salman Science Oasis, under the theme “Shaping the Future Quantum Workforce.”

The partnership focuses on developing an engineering framework to study quantum properties associated with neuronal cell membranes and the role of fatty acids in neural signaling.

It includes the development of measurement and testing technologies and tools that bring together quantum electronics, semiconductors, biomimetic platforms, and neuroimaging. The partnership also includes a research track examining the relationship between maternal fatty acid nutrition and fetal brain development and function, particularly in relation to cognitive abilities.

Director General of the Bioengineering Institute at KACST Dr. Mai Alzaydi said the partnership is focused on advancing quantum brain research as part of KACST’s efforts to support multidisciplinary research that brings together fundamental science and promising technological applications, enabling Saudi researchers to participate in this scientific field.

Head of Research at the Quantum Brain Laboratory at Imperial College London Professor Mark Johnson said the collaboration represents a significant milestone in quantum brain research by integrating quantum physics, neuroscience, engineering, and biochemistry within a testable research framework.

It also opens new opportunities for KACST researchers to take a leading role in shaping this emerging field in collaboration with leading scientists from Imperial College London, he added.

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Rare Vintage 1930s Watch Sells for £59,000

The rare Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 belonged to the vendor's grandfather who passed it to his daughter. (Hansons Auctioneers)
The rare Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 belonged to the vendor's grandfather who passed it to his daughter. (Hansons Auctioneers)
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Rare Vintage 1930s Watch Sells for £59,000

The rare Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 belonged to the vendor's grandfather who passed it to his daughter. (Hansons Auctioneers)
The rare Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 belonged to the vendor's grandfather who passed it to his daughter. (Hansons Auctioneers)

A rare vintage Swiss watch found in a late mother's jewelry box has fetched £59,000 at auction, according to the Daily Mail.

The 1930s Patek Philippe timepiece defied expectations after experts originally valued it at just £5,000.

It was unearthed during a house clearance at a property in Camborne, Cornwall, before selling at Hansons Auctioneers in Penzance on Tuesday.

The stainless-steel wristwatch had been sitting among old jewelry for years. The owner's daughter said she remembered her mother had told her she possessed an expensive watch, but never knew its true value.

She added nobody expected the treasured family heirloom to be worth almost 12 times its estimate.

Darren Ashley, senior valuer at Hansons Cornwall, said: “When I finally had the watch in my hands and was able to examine it properly, I knew we had something extremely rare.”

He added that Patek Philippe produced very few stainless-steel watches during this period and that rarity makes surviving examples incredibly desirable to collectors.

“But one of the things I loved most was its mechanical perfection. This was a watch dating back around 90 years which had spent decades within the same Cornish family and, when it was placed in my hands, it was still finely ticking away,” Cornwall said.

He noted that “combined with its wonderful provenance, it was an absolute pleasure to be entrusted with selling such an incredible timepiece.”

The rare Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 belonged to the vendor's grandfather who passed it to his daughter.

It is believed their grandmother, who had a love for designer clothes and luxury items, bought it as a gift for her husband decades ago.

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Weekend Lie-in Could Prevent High Blood Pressure, Research Finds

Overall, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a 6% reduction in the odds of hypertension. (Reuters)
Overall, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a 6% reduction in the odds of hypertension. (Reuters)
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Weekend Lie-in Could Prevent High Blood Pressure, Research Finds

Overall, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a 6% reduction in the odds of hypertension. (Reuters)
Overall, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a 6% reduction in the odds of hypertension. (Reuters)

A new analysis has found that weekend lie-ins may be good for you, with an ideal benchmark of one to two extra hours in bed to protect against high blood pressure, according to The Guardian.

For years, experts have stressed the risks of lie-ins, warning that catching up on missed sleep at the weekend can disrupt the body’s internal clock and trigger adverse health effects. But the new analysis has produced a heartening caveat to that advice.

Most experts still agree that setting a routine bedtime and wake-up time is key to maintaining good health. But the new study shows a modest amount of catch-up sleep – one to two hours extra – after a long week is associated with a lower prevalence of high blood pressure.

Globally, more than 1.3 billion people have hypertension. They face a much higher risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and early death.

While other ways to avoid high blood pressure remain crucial, such as staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and eating well, the study suggests people should no longer feel guilty about getting up late at the weekend, experts said.

The research was presented in Munich at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology, the world’s largest heart conference.

It looked at 40,000 adults in South Korea over a period of seven years. Weekend catch-up sleep was defined as the difference between weekend and weekday sleep duration.

Overall, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a 6% reduction in the odds of hypertension.

A slightly greater benefit was seen in people who were considered to be physically inactive. They were 6.9% less likely to have hypertension if they had a weekend lie-in.

Analysis identified the 1hr 27min benchmark as the ideal amount of catch-up sleep. Someone getting this amount of extra sleep would be 9% less likely to have high blood pressure.

The study author, Dr. Nawon Lee of Korea University in Seoul, said: “Not getting enough sleep puts extra stress on the body. It keeps the heart and blood vessels working harder and can increase blood pressure.”

She noted that getting some extra sleep on the weekend may give the body a chance to recover and reduce some of that stress.

“People should not feel lazy or guilty for sleeping a little longer on the weekend. If they have not been able to get enough sleep during the week, some extra sleep on the weekend may simply be the body’s way of recovering from that sleep loss,” Lee added.

Analysis identified the 1hr 27min benchmark as the ideal amount of catch-up sleep, Lee said. Someone getting this amount of extra sleep would be 9% less likely to have high blood pressure.

However, while the new research showed that getting some catch-up sleep could boost heart health, getting too much could be harmful, Lee cautioned. For instance, people sneaking in more than four hours extra sleep at the weekend were at greater risk of hypertension.

“I think moderate weekend catch-up sleep may have a protective effect because, in people who are sleep-deprived during the week, the benefit of compensating for insufficient sleep may outweigh the potential harm from having an irregular sleep schedule,” said Lee.

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Sinabung Volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island Erupts without Reports of Casualties

In this photo released by the Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Sinabung releases volcanic materials into the air during an eruption in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Badan Geologi via AP)
In this photo released by the Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Sinabung releases volcanic materials into the air during an eruption in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Badan Geologi via AP)
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Sinabung Volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island Erupts without Reports of Casualties

In this photo released by the Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Sinabung releases volcanic materials into the air during an eruption in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Badan Geologi via AP)
In this photo released by the Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Sinabung releases volcanic materials into the air during an eruption in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Badan Geologi via AP)

Mount Sinabung on Indonesia erupted Monday, spewing a column of black ash and smoke 3,500 meters (11,482 feet) from the top of the mountain into the sky over Sumatra island.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, evacuations or disruptions to flights in the region. But residents, visitors and tourists were advised to refrain from activities in nearby villages in Karo district in North Sumatra province and areas within 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) of the summit.

Roads, vehicles and buildings in several villages in Karo affected by the eruption were covered in gray ash. Local authorities distributed masks to residents to protect themselves.

Officials raised the volcano alert level to “Watch,” the second-highest level for volcanic activity, which expanded the safe zone around the 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) mountain.

“This eruption is considered an initial eruption, and it is possible that a larger eruption could occur,” Lana Saria, chief of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, said in a statement Monday.

The agency previously recorded visual evidence of Mount Sinabung's increased activity in mid-August including dozens of earthquakes and expanded the recommended radius for public activities.

About 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes around Sinabung in the past few years because of volcanic activity.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity and Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes. The country is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.